1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a casket that is particularly adapted for the upright, or vertical, burial of human remains and to a burial system therefor and for the secure transport of human remains from one location to another.
In particular, this invention relates to a casket that may also serve as the equivalent to the industry-standard Ziegler case for the shipping of human remains. The casket is constructed of plastics, polymers, recycled plastics and polymer composites such as glass-fiber reinforced plastic, and the use where appropriate of specialized polymers and reinforcements, and to modes for its use in the secure transport and burial of human remains. It is preferred that the construction material selected be sufficiently transparent to X-ray that the contents may be inspected without opening the case.
The casket may also be fabricated from materials that are totally biogradable when allowed to remain in the ground for a period of time while displaying the same physical features and structural integrity prior to its being committed to the ground as does a conventional casket.
2. Description of Related Art
Land available for use as cemeteries or burial grounds is becoming increasingly scarce in many urbanized areas of the world. Consequently, that shortage has led to various proposals for more efficient use of available space. Among those proposals are a number that are directed to the upright, or vertical, burial of human remains including, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,348,280. That patent discloses a closed tubular burial vault that is installed vertically into the ground so that its upper end is flush with the ground surface. A generally cylindrical casket containing human remains and sized to fit the vault is then lowered into the vault and is sealed therein by means of a lid member that is secured to the upper vault end. Both casket and vault may be constructed of a variety of plastic materials and composites.
Other examples include U.S. Pat. No. 4,328,606 which discloses a burial system having a plurality of vertically disposed and interconnected tubular concrete vaults. An end-opening tubular casket is disposed in each vault, and the vault is then closed by means of fitted covers. A patent to Jalbert, U.S. Pat. No. 3,581,452, describes a burial vault that has a plurality of vertically disposed chambers, each adapted to receive a casket. The vault is sized to fit a normal grave site plot. In another variation, Eubank in U.S. Pat. No. 3,898,718 describes a burial system in which vertical, cased bores are arranged to accommodate as many as three caskets in an end-to-end stacked arrangement, one atop another.